Ann Simonton

Ann J. Simonton is a writer, lecturer and feminist media activist. She founded and coordinates the non-profit group "Media Watch",cite news
last =White
first =Dan
title =Santa Cruz makes its mark on the world
publisher =Santa Cruz Sentinel
date =2003-09-07
url =http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2003/September/07/local/stories/01local.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-18 ] which challenges racism, sexism, and violence in the media through education and action. Simonton's autobiographical writings have been published by Harper & Row in "I Never Told Anyone" and "Her Wits About Her". She wrote and produced two educational videos that have garnered national acclaim; One of them, "Don't Be a TV: Television Victim," received the Silver Apple Award from the National Educational Video and Film Festival.

Simonton has been arrested and jailed 11 times for committing acts of non-violent civil disobedience. In the 1980s, she and her "Praying Mantis Brigade" led the "Myth California" protests, a series of counter-pageants which disrupted the Miss California pageant in Santa Cruz, California, protesting "the objectification of women and the glorification of the beauty myth."cite news
last =Bacon
first =Amity
title =Miss California Pageant united the community and served as a platform for protest
publisher =Santa Cruz Sentinel
date =2005-05-22
url =http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/May/22/local/stories/03local.htm
accessdate = 2007-05-18 ] The protests garnered international attention, and were partially responsible for the Miss California pageant eventually relocating from Santa Cruz.

Simonton lectures nationally on university campuses with a presentation entitled "Sex, Power and the Media." She has been a guest on "Dr. Phil", "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "Larry King Live", "Entertainment Tonight" and CNN's "Crossfire".

She worked as a Ford fashion model in the 1970s.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.mediawatch.com Media Watch]
* [http://gradethenews.org/pages2/simonton.htm Getting results with low-budget media activism]
* [http://www.mediawatch.com/multimedia.html Radio Interviews]
* [http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/db/kcrw.pl?show_code=ww&air_date=02/26/99&tmplt_type=Show Which Way LA?]
* [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~cwg/archives/saaw03arch.html Sex, Power and the Media] Lecture at Dartmouth
* [http://www.womenscenter.gatech.edu/spring2002.html 2002 Speech] at Georgia Tech
* [http://users.resist.ca/~kirstena/pageradicalbodypolitics.html Article About Ann's Activism by Kirsten Anderberg]